The present invention concerns a floor covering, in particular of the type consisting of hard panels.
In particular, it concerns a floor covering formed of laminate panels, also called laminate parquet.
It is known that such laminate panels can be made of different layers. Usually, the panels are formed of boards having a wood basis, such as chipboard or fiberboard, in particular MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) or HDF (High Density Fiberboard), upon which one or several layers, including a decorative layer, are provided at least on the top side. The decorative layer may be a printed paper layer, but in certain embodiments it may just as well be a layer of wood, in particular veneer. Such panels can also be made of other materials, for example merely synthetic material, or of a base plate on the basis of wood, such as chipboard, MDF or HDF and the like, upon which is provided, instead of a printed paper layer or veneer, another material such as cork, thin strips of wood and the like.
It is also known to couple these panels on their edges as they are laid, either by means of a conventional tongue and groove joint, whereby they are possibly glued together, either by means of a glueless coupling which provides for a mutual interlocking of the panels both in the horizontal and vertical direction, for example as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,486.
The present invention aims a floor covering of hard panels, in particular laminate panels, which provides for new embodiments according to different aspects offering respective advantages.
According to a first aspect, the invention provides for a floor covering comprising hard panels, whereby these panels are provided, at least on two opposite edges, with coupling means made in one piece with the panels, so that several of such panels can be mutually coupled, whereby these coupling means provide for an interlocking in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the floor covering, as well as in a direction perpendicular to the edges concerned and parallel to the plane of the floor covering, whereby said coupling means comprise a tongue and a groove and whereby the lip which is situated on the bottom side of the groove, hereafter called the lower lip, is longer than the lip on the top side, hereafter called the upper lip, characterized in that the edge which is provided with the tongue, is made flexible.
As the edge onto which the tongue is provided is elastically flexible, deflections arising during the coupling of the panels are absorbed by this edge, and the above-mentioned upper lip is safeguarded against large deflections, as a result of which the material cannot possibly split due to the bending of the lower lip.
The lower lip is preferably even made rigid, by making it sufficiently thick, so that any bending in this lip is entirely excluded.
According to a first possibility, the above-mentioned flexibility is obtained by making at least the tongue elastically flexible. According to a second possibility, which is preferably combined with the first one, and which contributes even more to the required flexibility being obtained, the tongue is situated on a part which is connected to the actual panel via a flexible zone in the shape of a local constriction.
Specific advantages of the embodiment according to the first aspect are further explained in the following detailed description.
The coupling means are preferably made such that they allow the panels to be coupled by pushing them laterally towards one another.
According to a second aspect, the invention provides for a floor covering comprising hard panels, whereby these panels are provided with coupling means on at least two opposite edges, as a result of which several of such panels can be mutually coupled to one another, whereby these coupling means provide for an interlocking in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the floor covering, as well as in a direction perpendicular to the edges concerned, and parallel to the plane of the floor covering, whereby said coupling means comprise a tongue and a groove and whereby the lip situated on the bottom side of the groove, hereafter called the lower lip, is longer than the lip on the top side, hereafter called the upper lip, characterized in that the coupling means consist at least of first coupling parts, formed of contact surfaces working in conjunction with one another, on the top side of the tongue and the bottom side of the upper lip respectively; second coupling parts formed of contact surfaces, on the top side of the lower lip and an opposite part of the other panel respectively; and third coupling parts providing for the horizontal interlocking, which are situated on the lower lip, yet further than the free end of the upper lip, whereby these third coupling parts are situated between the first and second ones.
As a result, the vertical forces which are created when walking over the floor covering, are divided over two places, which results in a better distribution of the forces.
The third coupling parts preferably consist of an inwardly directed contact surface provided near the free end of the lower lip, on this lip, and a contact surface working in conjunction with it which is formed on the other panel.
The second coupling parts preferably consist of a contact surface formed on the top side of the free end of the lower lip, as well as a contact surface working in conjunction with it on the bottom side of the other panel.
Moreover, a free space is preferably provided under the tongue extending as of the tip of the tongue up to the third coupling parts. As a result, the tongue can be put more easily in the groove, without having to take very precise tolerances into account.
According to a third aspect, the invention provides for a floor covering comprising hard panels, whereby these panels are provided with coupling means on at least two opposite edges, so that several of such panels can be mutually coupled, whereby these coupling means provide for an interlocking in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the floor covering, as well as in a direction perpendicular to the edges concerned and parallel to the plane of the floor covering, whereby said coupling means comprise a tongue and a groove and whereby the lip which is situated on the bottom side of the groove, hereafter called the lower lip, is longer than the lip on the top side, hereafter called the upper lip, characterized in that the coupling means consist at least of first coupling parts formed of contact surfaces working in conjunction with one another, on the top side of the tongue and the bottom side of the upper lip respectively; second coupling parts formed of contact surfaces, on the top side of the lower lip and an opposite part of the other panel respectively; and third coupling parts which provide for the horizontal interlocking situated on the lower lip, yet further than the free end of the upper lip, whereby the second coupling parts are situated between the first and the third ones, and whereby these second coupling parts consist of contact surfaces working in conjunction with one another and defining a local contact zone situated in the middle or practically in the middle between the tip of the tongue and the third coupling parts.
By making use of such a local contact zone, there remains a space between this zone and the tip of the tongue, on the bottom side of the latter, which makes sure that there is freedom of movement for the tongue when the panels are joined.
According to a fourth aspect, the invention provides for a floor covering comprising hard panels, whereby these panels are provided with coupling means on at least two opposite edges made in one piece with the panels, as a result of which several of such panels can be mutually coupled to one another, whereby these coupling means provide for an interlocking in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the floor covering, as well as in a direction perpendicular to the edges concerned, and parallel to the plane of the floor covering, whereby said coupling means comprise a tongue and a groove, characterized in that the lip situated on the top side of the groove, hereafter called the upper lip, is longer than the lip situated on the bottom side of the groove, hereafter called the lower lip, and in that the above-mentioned coupling means contain coupling parts which provide for the interlocking in the horizontal direction, whereby these coupling parts consist at least of contact surfaces working in conjunction with one another, provided on the bottom side of the upper lip, outside the distal end of the lower lip, and on the opposite part of the edge of the other panel respectively.
As the interlocking takes place on the upper lip, it is easier to check the reliability of the interlocking while the floor is being laid than in the case where the interlocking takes place on the lower lip.
According to a fifth aspect, the invention provides for a floor covering comprising hard panels, whereby these panels are provided with coupling means on at least two opposite edges made in one piece with the panels, as a result of which several of such panels can be mutually coupled to one another, whereby these coupling means provide for an interlocking in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the floor covering, as well as in a direction perpendicular to the edges concerned, and parallel to the plane of the floor covering, whereby said coupling means comprise a tongue and a groove, characterized in that the lip situated on the top side of the groove, hereafter called the upper lip, is longer than the lip situated on the bottom side of the groove, hereafter called the lower lip, and in that the above-mentioned coupling means contain coupling parts which provide for the interlocking in the horizontal direction, whereby these coupling parts make it possible for these panels to be mutually disconnected by turning them down toward their bottom side and towards one another.
Thanks to the use of coupling means which make it possible for the panels to be disconnected by turning them downward, and preferably to be exclusively disconnectable by this movement, is obtained that such panels fit particularly tight on the coupling means concerned, and are pushed even closer towards one another when being walked on.
The panels are hereby preferably rectangular, and they are provided with coupling means on two pairs of edges which make it possible for the panels to be disconnected by means of an upward rotation in order to be unlocked, whereas, on the other pair of edges, as mentioned above, they are provided with coupling means which only allow for a disconnection by turning the coupled panels with their bottom side towards one another. Also the opposite turning movements increase the guarantee that such a coupling remains always available.
It should be noted that in the case of longitudinal panels, the coupling means which allow for a disconnection by turning the panels upward are preferably provided on the longitudinal sides, whereas the coupling means which allow for a disconnection by turning the panels down, are preferably provided on the shortest sides.
According to a sixth aspect, the invention provides for a floor covering comprising hard panels, whereby these panels are provided with coupling means on at least two opposite edges made in one piece with the panels, as a result of which several of such panels can be mutually coupled to one another, whereby these coupling means provide for an interlocking in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the floor covering, as well as in a direction perpendicular to the edges concerned, and parallel to the plane of the floor covering, whereby said coupling means comprise a tongue and a groove, characterized in that the interlocking in the horizontal direction is at least formed of coupling parts in the shape of a local protrusion in the top side of the above-mentioned tongue, which meshes in a recess in the lip which borders the top side of the groove.
An advantage of this embodiment consists in that, since the protrusion is local, the recess can also have relatively small dimensions, and the upper lip is only weakened locally.
According to the sixth aspect, there is preferably no interlocking in the horizontal direction on the lower lip.
According to a seventh aspect, the invention provides for a floor covering comprising hard panels, whereby these panels are provided with coupling means on at least two opposite edges made in one piece with the panels, as a result of which several of such panels can be mutually coupled to one another, whereby these coupling means provide for an interlocking in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the floor covering, as well as in a direction perpendicular to the edges concerned, and parallel to the plane of the floor covering, and whereby:
the above-mentioned coupling means comprise a tongue and a groove, whereby this groove is bordered by a lip on the bottom side, the top side respectively, hereafter called the lower lip and the upper lip respectively, whereby the distal end of the upper lip defines or intersects a vertical plane, hereafter called plane V1;
the lower lip is longer than the upper lip;
there is an interlocking part on the part of the lower lip which extends past the free end of the upper lip, with a contact surface which, when coupled, works in conjunction with a contact surface which is provided on the other panel, whereby these contact surfaces form a contact zone when coupled, whose center defines or intersects a vertical plane, hereafter called plane V2;
before the above-mentioned interlocking part, in the direction of the groove, is formed a space in the lower lip which is open on the top side;
in the coupled situation, there is a contact zone in the cross section in which the top side of the tongue makes contact with the bottom side of the upper lip, whereby the point of this contact zone which is situated most inwardly defines or intersects a first vertical plane, hereafter called plane V3, the most outwardly situated point of this contact zone defines or intersects a second vertical plane, hereafter called plane V4, and both planes V3 and V4 define a vertical plane situated right in between, hereafter called plane V5;
the top side of the interlocking part defines a horizontal level, hereafter called level N1;
the bottom side of the part upon which the tongue is provided and which extends from the tip of the tongue to the interlocking zone, defines a horizontal level, hereafter called level N2;
the levels N1 and N2 define a horizontal level situated right in between, hereafter called level N3;
the average height of the contact zones between the top side of the tongue and the bottom side of the upper lip define a horizontal level, hereafter called level N4;
the distance between the planes V1 and V2 is at least half of the distance between the levels N3 and N4;
characterized in that the floor covering further provides at least in combination the following characteristics:
that the panels, and basically also the above-mentioned lips, are made of fiberboard of the type MDF or HDF;
that the coupling means are made such that the panels can be assembled by pushing them towards one another; and
that the above-mentioned space extends to beneath the upper lip, such that this space is in conformity with at least one of the following two characteristics:
a) that the part of this space which is situated under the level N3 extends inwardly to at least past the plane V1;
b) that the part of this space which is situated under the level N1 extends inwardly to at least past the plane V5.
When all the above-mentioned criteria are met, an embodiment is obtained according to the invention whereby the above-mentioned space is relatively large compared to the other parameters on the one hand, and, thanks to the specific application of the MDF or HDF material, the structure nevertheless remains sufficiently stable on the other hand. The relatively large space which is formed in the lower lip offers the advantage that the tongue can be located in the groove more easily, as well as the advantage that the tongue can be made relatively massive.
According to a particular embodiment, this floor covering is characterized in that the panels are rectangular and in that coupling means are formed on both pairs of edges which offer an interlocking in the horizontal and vertical direction, whereby these coupling means are formed as mentioned above on at least one pair of said edges, and whereby on at least two edges intersecting at right angles to one another, use is made of a groove which is bordered by an upper lip and a lower lip respectively, whereby the lower lip each time protrudes further than the upper lip, such that two such longer lips meet in at least one angle of the panel, whereby at least the above-mentioned space continues up to the end of the panel in said angle, in other words extends through the far end of the lip standing at right angles. As the above-mentioned space is made continuous, also a large flexibility can be guaranteed in the angle concerned, as the interlocking parts of the longitudinally directed lower lip and the transversely directed lower lip are then disconnected by this continuous recess.
According to an eight aspect, the invention provides for a floor covering comprising hard panels, whereby these panels are provided with coupling means on at least two opposite edges made in one piece with the panels, as a result of which several of such panels can be mutually coupled to one another, whereby these coupling means provide for an interlocking in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the floor covering, as well as in a direction perpendicular to the edges concerned, and parallel to the plane of the floor covering, and whereby:
the above-mentioned coupling means comprise a tongue and a groove, whereby this groove is bordered by a lip on the bottom side, the top side respectively, hereafter called the lower lip and the upper lip respectively;
the lower lip is longer than the upper lip;
there is an interlocking part on the part of the lower lip which extends past the free end of the upper lip, with a contact surface which, when coupled, works in conjunction with a contact surface which is provided on the other panel; and
before the above-mentioned interlocking part, in the direction of the groove, is formed a space in the lower lip which is open on the top side;
characterized in that the coupling means are made such that the panels can be assembled by pushing them towards one another while in a generally common place, and in that in the bottom side of the part onto which the tongue is provided, and which extends from the tip of the tongue up to the interlocking zone, is provided a depression, such that this depression co-operates with the interlocking part in a position at which the tongue is situated in front of the groove. Thus is obtained that, while the tongue is being fit in, the interlocking part is located in the depression, so that the tongue is better positioned in front of the groove of the other panel.
The floor coverings consisting of hard panels known until now, and which allow for a glueless interlocking, do not make it possible to temporarily remove panels from the middle of the floor covering after the floor covering has been entirely laid. This is disadvantageous in that it is difficult to replace damaged panels, as well as impossible to locally remove the floor covering, for example to work on or in the rough floor, to lay or remove cables under the floor covering, etc. With the known systems, the panels always need to be systematically removed from an edge of the floor covering.
Also, according to a ninth aspect, the invention aims a floor covering made of hard panels, whereby it is possible to remove any panel whatsoever from an existing floor covering, and to put it back, without the floor covering having to be systematically broken up from an edge of the whole.
According to this ninth aspect, the invention to this end provides for a floor covering comprising hard panels, whereby these panels are provided with coupling means on at least two opposite edges made in one piece with the panels, as a result of which several of such panels can be mutually coupled to one another, whereby these coupling means provide for an interlocking in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the floor covering, as well as in a direction perpendicular to the edges concerned, and parallel to the plane of the floor covering, whereby the above-mentioned coupling means are made such that two coupled panels, starting from a flat position, can be turned towards one another with their bottom sides over at least a certain angle on the one hand, and this turning movement makes it possible for said two panels to be removed from in between adjacent panels on the other hand.
According to a first preferred embodiment, the coupling means are made such that they make it possible for the two panels, when they are situated in a floor covering, to be lifted with their coupled edges, such that there is a disconnection on at least one of the opposite edges providing for a connection with the adjacent panels.
According to a second preferred embodiment, the coupling means are made such that they make it possible for the two panels, when they are situated in a floor covering, to be lifted with their coupled edges, such that the coupling, in particular the vertical coupling, is interrupted on the edges concerned and a disconnection becomes possible.
According to a particularly practical embodiment, the floor covering is characterized in that the coupling means mainly consist of a tongue and a groove, whereby the lip which is situated on the bottom side of the groove is longer than the lip on the top side, and the interlocking is obtained mainly in the horizontal direction thanks to an interlocking part on the lip situated on the bottom side of the groove and an interlocking part working in conjunction with it on the bottom side of the other panel, whereby these coupling means make it possible for the panels to be assembled by means of a turning movement and whereby, in the coupled position, spaces are provided above the first-mentioned interlocking part as well as under the second-mentioned interlocking part which allow for a further turning movement.
The above-described nine aspects of the invention may occur independently or they can be mutually combined, in any possible combination, provided the embodiments as described according to the above-mentioned nine aspects do not have conflicting characteristics.
Naturally, the invention also concerns the panels themselves with which the above-described floor coverings can be made.